The Lost Nest syndrome By R.Manoj Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist and counselor

 

Lost Nest syndrome – The secondary effect of work from home, a new scenario in the mental health arena

By

R.Manoj

Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist and counselor

Lost nest syndrome is a strong feeling or belief in a person, that they don’t have a place   devoid of official activities where they can rest with the sense of getting back to the nest after the day’s work. A status that arises when the person starts believing that since he or she is carrying out his official activities at home, the home has become the office and they is not sure whether they have a place which they can comprehend to be their home or confused  which their real home is.

Psychologically any place where a person can get back after their work is interpreted as home irrespective of whether it’s a temporary residence or the property they own and whether they are alone or residing along with their family or friends.

Home is perceived to be the place away from work, where they have time for themselves and their family. It is the place where they feel that they can enjoy their freedom without constraints, the place where they have the freedom to decide on how to spend the time available exclusively with themselves for what they feel as their personal work or their family.

The outbreak of covid19 has made work from home as the order of the day. Only a part of the employees in the core engineering sector have the luxury of working from office. While the early stages of work from home was enjoyable and relaxing, as days go by the status is moving towards increase in stress associated with the working hours, work load. The organizations have also become more and more demanding, annihilating the work hour pattern which was followed earlier.

While there has been an increase in overall hours spent on work, many have started developing the feeling of being hooked to their work psychologically round the clock even when they are physically on the task. The freedom to go out from home to any other place to relax or divert their attention being curtailed by the lockdown implemented by the governments is also an added factor contributing to increase in the stress leading to the development of feelings of helplessness. This status is getting further complicated by the thought that they have lost their space where they can have a complete feeling of having break and rest.

While work from office was the reality there was a sense of completion of the day’s tasks whenever the employees start back to their home just like a bird returns to its nest once darkness sets in. Home is believed to be the place where they can keep themselves away from the office related responsibilities, a place where they reach out to take rest for the rest of the day. This was true in case of even people who used to do a part of work from their home whenever there is a demand for the same.

The lockdown in wake of the outbreak of COVID19 has forced most of the organization to emphasize that their staff adopt work from home to execute their regular activities. This has resulted in home becoming the new work place and the demands of the job related activities has gradually penetrated and converted home into office.  While one part of the population are confused when the space can be perceived as office and when as home, another part have started believing that it’s the office space from where they are working. They have started demanding the same freedom and comfort of working from office and forcing the other members of the family to adapt to the change. They are unable to toleetare and disturbances from their family members when they are at work and expect the other family members to provide them with all the space and comfort by which they can work with the same mindset as they do in the office.  

But as this mindset of home being office comes into existence parallely the other status that develops is the loss of home. The more they get into the trap of creating an office at home the more they lose the feeling of that they have a home for themselves to which they can go and rest once their work is over. The status they comprehend is they are working and resting in the same place, the office and they don’t have a nest where they can rest.

The symptoms of lost nest syndrome

1.    Lack of consistency in work hours

2.    Frequent shifting between work and other activities which includes browsing the social media and other brief entertaining activities

3.    In ability to relax after completing the work hours

4.    Consistent feeling of not having rested after completing the day’s work

5.    Confusion in shifting the roles between work and home related responsibilities

6.    Preoccupation with official activities and work related responsibilities most of the time in a day even when work for the day is completed.

7.    Despite the alertness and reminders of home, self-related responsibilities not being interested in carrying out the same based on the belief that they are at work

8.    Substantiating the denial and avoidance of home, self-related responsibilities with feelings of the necessity to be alert to work round the clock.

9.    Inability to define the time for work and home related responsibilities

10. Preoccupation with the functions associated with job even when they are involved in entertaining od pleasurable activities

11. Frequent checking of the gadgets that aid their job functions for alerts even after their defined work hours, in between their home related activities and resting hours

12. Inability to tolerate the environmental disturbances and Frustration related to lack of control over the environment at home

13. Stress in relationships due to psychological preoccupation with work even after its completed for the day

14. Developing a sense of loneliness even when they are physically present among family members

 

Lost nest syndrome is becoming a reality in current scenario. If the current pattern of work from home is going to be the new normal, them this syndrome is a danger that we need to reckon. Unless the risk factor is anticipated, understood and addressed in the initial phase there are possibilities that it can lead stress related mental health issues